'It Just Got Higher, Higher, Higher': Baldwin, Wis. Residents Assess Damage From 9 Inches Of Rain
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After nearly 9 inches of rain caused flash flooding in western Wisconsin, homeowners are learning just how much Mother Nature set them back.
The floodwaters had receded quite a bit by mid-afternoon Monday, but the damage up and down Florence Street in Baldwin was already done.
When Jim Weiss learned rain was in the forecast, he was hoping for an inch or two. He got much more than he bargained for.
"It just got higher, higher, higher," Weiss said.
READ MORE: Sheriff: 70-Year-Old Motorist Dies After Van Loses Control On Flooded Highway Near Baldwin, Wis.
Hours of heavy rain caused the creek behind Weiss's property to rise rapidly. Floodwaters did damage under his mobile home and pushed a tool shed into his house -- 10 years after another flood did the same thing.
"Same as last time. Pushed her right back against it," Weiss said.
The washed out roads and streets were a repeat for Wayne Hoben as well. He had to rebuild after the 2010 flood. This time, his garage was the victim and with it some family history.
"I had some photo albums down there in a box. A few boxes like that," Hoben said. "I had about a foot of water so anything on the floor got damaged."
READ MORE: 'Extremely Dangerous': Flooding In Western Wisconsin Makes Some Roads Impassable
Eight families living near a Baldwin creek were at least temporarily evacuated, and officers and sheriff's deputies had to conduct water rescues Monday morning in other parts of town. Flash flooding pulled the skirting of the bottom of Breanna Overland's home.
"About waist-deep by the time 6 a.m. rolled around. Here we are," Overland said.
But her family's storage shed got it the worst, as floodwaters took valuables for a ride -- forcing them to go on a scavenger hunt for their belongings.
"Stuff was probably two miles away at least. You name it. Kids toys, jackets, boots, random, miscellaneous stuff you have in a storage shed, gone," Overland said. "It's heartbreaking."
